Marooned by Heather
by yoplait2000
Summary: Seven and the Doctor are trapped in the Holodeck for several hours and the Doctor's lost his memory!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Marooned - Part 1  
Author: Heather  
Contact:   
Rating: A Very Light PG  
Summary: Inspired by a challenge by Vell. Seven and the Doctor are trapped in the Holodeck for several hours and the Doctor's lost his memory!  
Disclaimer: I love Voyager. Please don't punish me for writing a story about it. Paramount owns everything and I love them.

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Large foaming waves crashed upon the glittering sable sand. One more violent wave glided swiftly onto the shore and over twenty wiggling toes. An old rickety, moss-covered canoe lay moored on the shore, tied to a sharp rock.

Seven of Nine and the Doctor padded barefoot on the soft sand towards the boat. It had been the Doctor's suggestion that Seven spend more time relaxing and having "fun", so Seven had reluctantly agreed to join him in a new holodeck program that the Doctor had created.

Slightly annoyed, Seven leaned down and rubbed some wayward grains of sand that had attached themselves to her bare calves. She was wearing a white cotton blouse and tan shorts and was not used to getting dirty.

"I should have worn shoes," she grumbled.

The Doctor smiled and said, "Seven, don't you LIKE the feeling of the sand squishing between your toes?"

"I do not," she replied.

"Well then, just walk into the water a bit and wash it off," the Doctor suggested.

Seven moved closer to the edge of the churning ocean and dipped her feet in. She actually smiled a bit as the waves tickled her feet.

The Doctor watched with open admiration. It was hard for him to hide his exhilaration around her. Sometimes he felt like a lost puppy dog… always wanting to be around Seven. He was sure that she didn't have a clue of how he truly felt – that he was in love with her.

Seven looked back at the Doctor. She smiled softly at him and then suddenly a huge wave caught her off guard and made her lose her balance. Seven stumbled backwards and fell on her side in the shallow receding water.

The Doctor was there in a flash, taking her hand, helping her to her feet and trying to remove the sand, seaweed and other debris on her.

"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously.

He could see a slight look of embarrassment on her face as she replied, "I am undamaged. Thank you."

Seven walked off quickly towards the wooden boat to grab a towel to wipe herself off. As she rubbed the soft material over her damp skin, the Doctor ran up to her and put his hand up to her face. Seven flinched back a little but the Doctor whispered soothingly, in a soft gentle voice, "Just a little sand…"

Seven found herself curiously unable to look the Doctor straight in the eye as he cleaned her off. She also felt very aware of the feel of his warm fingers on her cheek. It made her feel funny… her heart started to pound.

When the Doctor removed his hand from her face, Seven turned away from him quickly and said, "We should start back to the other side before the sun sets, agreed?"

"I suppose," the Doctor sighed, "It's just so beautiful and tranquil here, don't you think?"

Seven nodded to the Doctor but in actuality she still didn't really understand the relevance of beauty. The two got into the boat and began to row towards the opposite shore.

* * * * * *

"Report," Captain Janeway croaked as she strode onto the Bridge.

"Shields are down to 73%. Our friends have been firing non-stop at us for the last minute," Chakotay reported.

"Do you have any idea why they're firing at us? Did you try hailing them?" Janeway asked.

"Yes Captain. There was no response," Harry Kim shouted.

"Mr. Paris, evasive maneuvers. Get us out of here." Janeway commanded.

"Yes Ma'am."

Suddenly a bright yellow wave emanated from the alien attackers ship and stretched out towards Voyager. A huge impact hit Voyager, sending the bridge crew sprawling to the floor. Bright sparks showered everywhere as equipment all over the Bridge exploded.

* * * * * *

The Doctor and Seven were just pulling the boat onto shore when the huge jolt sent them both tumbling onto the sand.

"What was that?" the Doctor yelled to Seven.

Seven was already tapping her combadge but it wouldn't work. "Computer, exit," she called but got no response.

Suddenly a large electric shockwave, not unlike a bolt of lightning, struck out over the holographic ocean, hitting very close to the Doctor. He fritzed and then disappeared, his holoemitter falling to the ground.

Seven rushed over to where the Doctor had been and grabbed for his emitter. Suddenly, whatever shock that had run through the emitter transferred into her, and with a loud buzz, she became unconscious and slumped down into the sand.

* * * * * *

Seven of Nine's eyelids fluttered and her eyes slowly regained their focus. Tiny bubbling waves were lapping over her feet and ankles. She was laying face down on the wet sand, clutching the Doctors holoemitter. Seven slowly raised herself up, flinching slightly from a pain in her right arm. She looked at it and saw bright red burn marks all along her arm from wrist to elbow.

She tried to remember what had happened…. She and the Doctor had come to this simulation for relaxation. Seven remembered the shaking, the bolt of lightering and the Doctor's program disappearing before she herself was struck.

She looked at the holoemitter in her hand. "Computer, activate the EMH." There was no response.

"Computer, end program."

"Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway," She called but again there was silence.

Seven got to her feet and started walking towards a beach house further up the shore. When she reached the cabin, Seven went inside and immediately started looking for a tricorder or medical equipment. She rustled through the cabinets and drawers, and even looked through the Doctors personal effects but came up with nothing.

With a sigh of resignation, she sat down on one of the beds and decided there was nothing more for her to do but to wait for help.

* * * * * *

"Report," croaked Janeway weakly when she came to.

Harry was just regaining consciousness himself but he managed to reply, "Hull breach on Deck 11. Our warp and impulse drive is down. 6 crewman reporting injuries."

"And our friends?" the captain inquired.

"No sign of them."

"Let's get to work on getting our impulse drive back on line. Janeway to Seven of Nine…. Seven respond."

"Computer locate Seven of Nine," Chakotay commanded.

"Seven of Nine is in Holodeck One," was the response.

Janeway gestured to Tuvok, "Get down there. We need her help in Astrometrics." Tuvok nodded and headed to the turbolift.

"Sickbay to Captain Janeway," an unfamiliar female voice called.

"Janeway here."

"Captain, the Doctor's…. gone"

"Gone?" the captain asked incredulously.

"Yes, and we have injured here."

"Ensign Paris will be right there, crewman," Janeway said as she looked over at Tom. Paris sighed and got up from his seat to assist in Sickbay.

* * * * * *

Seven was growing restless. It was not in her nature to just sit around and wait for help. She looked down at the holoemitter in her hand. She hated to admit it but she suddenly missed the Doctor. His chatter on irrelevant topics was preferable to silence.

Seven didn't have much experience at adjusting the Doctor's holoemitter – that was usually B'Elanna's job, but she decided to give it a shot none the less. She fingered the tiny buttons on the emitter, and suddenly the Doctor shimmered into view. Seven felt a huge rush of relief rush over her and she smiled at him.

The Doctor just returned a blank stare. "Please state the nature of the Medical Emergency," he droned.

"Doctor, we are in the holodeck. We were both struck by some type of energy blast," Seven explained.

"Who are you, and where's my sickbay?" the Doctor asked angrily.

"Doctor, don't you remember? I am Seven of Nine, your… friend."

"I am an Emergency Medical Hologram, I have no time for personal dalliances. Are you injured or not."

Seven looked hurt. _He doesn't remember me_ - she thought sadly. She put her burned arm forward for the Doctor to examine. "You have 1st degree burns! I have to treat you right away. Where's my dermal regenerator?"

"Doctor, we are trapped on the holodeck. None of your equipment is here. I have already checked."

"I can't remember coming here. That's odd…. Why would I have come here with you? And especially with no medical equipment!"

"We came here for recreational purposes."

"But I've never met you before in my life! What am I doing in these ridiculous looking clothes? Where's my uniform? I'm a doctor, not a toy!"

Seven sighed and sat down on her bed. The Doctor had obviously lost his memory. He was acting differently towards her. Cold, unattached….. it bothered her and she didn't know why.

* * * * * *

"The attack somehow isolated the holodecks from the rest of the ship. We can't transport anyone in or out and we can't use the com to speak to them. It will take me at least 3 hours to fix the problem," Torres said angrily.

"It will have to wait. We've got to get impulse back just in case those aliens return. I don't want to be sitting here dead in the water," commanded Janeway.

Torres nodded. "I actually envy the Doctor and Seven. They get to take a vacation from this mess."

* * * * * *

"Young lady! I demand to be returned to Sickbay," the Doctor yelled.

"Doctor, you are malfunctioning. Let me access your holoemitter and I will attempt to repair you," Seven moved closer to the hologram but he backed away.

"Keep away. I don't trust you. Where's your Captain, I wish to speak with her."

"As I explained before, we are trapped in the holodeck. We can't communicate with the rest of the ship, but I imagine that the crew is working on a way to free us….."

The Doctor had fear on his face as he bolted out of the cabin. He ran down the beach and into the jungle forest nearby. Seven looked after him but decided not to pursue. She knew that he would not get lost in the confines of the holodeck and perhaps it would give her time to work on their predicament.

About 5 minutes later, Seven heard a shrill cry coming from outside the cabin. She quickly got up and went to the door. Coming towards her, she saw the Doctor, clad only in his navy shorts. He had a look of deathly fear on his face as he sped towards the safety of their cabin. Then she saw what he was running from. It was a huge bush pig. On one of it's tusks was the Doctor's white shirt that he had been wearing. It was grunting and had it's head lowered as it charged the cabin. "HELP ME!" the Doctor screamed. Seven opened the cabin door widely and stepped aside to allow the Doctor to enter quickly. She slammed the door on the snorting pig.

As she looked back at the Doctor cowering in the corner of the room, she couldn't help feeling amused. A slight smiled curled on her lips. She moved closer to him and said, "It is all right, we are safe now."

The Doctor looked past her shoulder, as if the pig might pop out unexpectedly at him. Then with a look of indignation he straightened himself, and said, "Well… thank-you. I…. I'm not used to being out of Sickbay, that's all. What was your name again?"

"Seven of Nine."

"Well, Seven of Nine, I brought you something." He pulled some flowering plants out of his pocket and handed them to her with a proud look on his face.

"What are these?" Seven asked. Her chest felt tight and she had a funny feeling in her stomach.

"They are medicinal plants…. for your burn. They will assist with the healing process until we can get to Sickbay."

Seven looked at the greenery. "Of course," she said a little sadly, "Thank you Doctor."

She applied bits of the plants to her wound, squeezing any liquid from inside the stems onto her arm. Then she wrapped her arm up in one of the towels.

"Well, now that you are taken care of, I ask you to deactivate me," the Doctor said.

Seven felt bad. Why was the Doctor's demeanor bothering her so much? She felt confused at her reactions. "Doctor, I'd prefer if you stayed with me until help arrives."

"Your wounds aren't life-threatening. I've done all I can under the circumstances," the Doctor intoned.

"I have need for companionship," Seven said softly.

"But I was not designed for small-talk. I am an Emergency Medic…."

Seven cut him off. "Doctor, please. Stay with me."

The Doctor sighed and looked at Seven crossly. His programming was telling him to deactivate himself. He wasn't even designed for use outside Sickbay. Was it possible that he and this young woman were… as she had put it….. friends? He wasn't designed to have friends. He looked at her. "All right," he said.

* * * * * *

"Status," Janeway ordered.

"Impulse engines are back online. We're working on the warp drive, Captain," B'Elanna responded.

"Good. Any guesses yet as to why those aliens fired at us?" the Captain asked her Bridge crew.

"None, Captain. Maybe we were just violating their space," Chakotay suggested.

"Perhaps. Let's get the hell out of here," she motioned to the ensign at the helm. "Take us out of here, full impulse."

* * * * * *

"I sang opera?" the Doctor asked with wide eyes. He couldn't imagine doing anything besides the medical treatment of others.

"Yes, you were also interested in holophotography. I believe your holo-imager is over in that pile." Seven pointed to the opposite bed.

The Doctor walked over to the bed und rummaged through the pile. He picked up the holo-imager and looked through the view screen to see all the pictures he had taken recently. As he scrolled through the photos, he noticed that quite a lot of the pictures were of this woman, Seven of Nine. There were shots of her eating, working, even regenerating. There were also shots of parties and many had him in the scenes. _Why am I socializing? I'm not programmed for that_ – he thought.

"But why can't I remember any of this?" the Doctor said, rubbing his forehead.

"I believe that somehow, when I reactivated you, your program was reset to it's original settings," said Seven worriedly. "I just hope Lieutenant Torres can restore your memories." Seven was suddenly preoccupied with the thought of the Doctor not remembering their time together. All that they had been through together would be lost.

She suddenly felt a pang in her stomach. It had been 8.4 hours since she had last consumed a nutritional supplement. Seven went to a small cupboard and pulled out a ration pack that she had brought along. She tore it open and bit into the morsel.

"Was I well liked by the crew?" the Doctor asked suddenly.

"Yes. You are an indispensable part of Voyager," said Seven, suddenly remembering the time when the Doctor was prepared to leave the ship to be with Tinkoo and his alien "fans". It was a period of time that she'd rather forget. She had never felt so small, so lonely, so… heartbroken.

"No, but did people like me?" the EMH asked.

"Yes," was her answer.

"Did you like me?" he asked.

"You are my…. best friend," she said, not believing what had just come from her mouth.

The Doctor smiled and got up. He went to the door and peered out, scanning for the ferocious bush pig that had chased him before. "No sign of the monster… or my shirt," he said frowning and looking down at his bare chest.

Seven looked the Doctor over. She noticed that he was quite handsome. She had never really looked at him or any other man that way before, and doing that made her catch her breath a little. _What is wrong with me? He is my friend, my mentor… nothing more._

"You are welcome to wear my shirt, if your bareness troubles you," Seven said, getting up.

The Doctor's hands flew up in a resisting motion, "NO, no that's quite all right. I'll manage, Seven of Nine."

"You may call me Seven," the borg said and then she picked up the Doctor's holo-imager, opened the cabin door and stepped out into the approaching darkness. When she saw the stance of the hesitant Doctor she added, "I wish to go for a walk. Will you join me?"

The Doctor smiled a little and joined Seven.

* * * * * *

Captain Janeway stepped into Engineering. It was abuzz with people running every where. At the center of it all was Lieutenant Torres, with a determined busy look on her face.

"B'Elanna, how are things going?, Janeway asked.

"I'll have warp drive back in about 10 minutes, Captain."

"Excellent work B'Elanna. When you're done with that, see if you can free our two hideaways on the holodeck," the Captain ordered as she moved towards the exit.

"Yes, Ma'am," B'Elanna said loudly. She rubbed her ridged forehead. What a hell of a day – she thought.

* * * * * *

The sunset was truly gorgeous. Even Seven marveled at it's beauty. _I must be becoming more human_ – she thought. Looking down at the holo-imager in her hand, she decided that she should record some of these images for later enjoyment. As she snapped some images, another thought formed in her head. "Doctor, please stand over there. I wish to take your picture."

The Doctor obeyed, and with some coaxing from Seven he even smiled. Then Seven set the imager on a stone, pushed some buttons and ran over to where the Doctor was. The first image caught the two of them standing together but apart. For the second image Seven drew very close to the Doctor. For the third image, Seven planted a small kiss on the Doctor's cheek just as the flash went off. The Doctor stepped back, horrified.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"I have observed that people often do silly things in photos. I have kissed you before," Seven said. "It was merely a platonic gesture." She wasn't sure if she was telling herself that or telling the Doctor. Her cheeks began to burn. Seven turned and began to walk toward the holo-imager.

The Doctor came up from behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Please…. tell me about some of the things we did together."

Seven thought a moment, turned around and said, "Give me your right hand."

With a puzzled look, he complied. Seven put the Doctors right hand on her waist and put her left hand on his shoulder.

"Now put your left hand in my right," she said softly. After he did so, she said, "Due to the computer not working, I will be forced to provide the music." She started humming and pulled the Doctor closer to her.

"What are we doing?" the Doctor asked in a panicky voice.

"It is called dancing. You taught me this not long ago. Now be quiet while I sing accompaniment music."

Seven nuzzled her cheek against the Doctor. He felt stiffer than the last time they had danced, but she felt looser – more aggressive.

The Doctor pulled his cheek away a little and Seven turned her head and looked into his eyes. Suddenly her head began to pound and her cheeks felt hot. She wanted to break away and pull closer at the same time. Then suddenly, she knew what she wanted to do. Her face drew closer and closer to the Doctor's until their lips touched. Seven increased the pressure of her lips and her hands trailed up the back up the Doctor's neck. It felt electric, but the Doctor broke it off. He stepped back, away from Seven.

"I… I don't understand," he stammered. "I wasn't designed for this."

Then with almost the same look of fear as he had had with the pig, he fled into the jungle again.

Seven stood alone on the beach, wondering what had just happened. _I just initiated a romantic gesture toward the Doctor_ – she thought incredulously. _And it felt good……_

* * * * * *

"Lieutennant Torres to Captain Janeway."

"Go ahead, B'Elanna," the Captain responded.

"Captain, I think I've almost got access to the Holodeck."

"Very good, B'Elanna. Keep working and let me know when you've got them out."

B'Elanna growled softly as she worked on the holodeck panel in front of her.

* * * * * *

Seven lay back on the pillow of her bed. Normally, she would have thought that this action was inefficient but due to what had just transpired on the beach, it felt right. _I can't believe I never realized this before_ – she thought. _I have romantic feelings for the Doctor._

Seven kept replaying the scene in her mind. The kiss was breathtaking. The problem was…. the Doctor didn't feel the same way. And she felt a little guilty for taking advantage of him in his mental condition. She began to run through scenes in her mind. All the times that the Doctor and her had spent time together singing or on the Holodeck seemed innocent. The Doctor had never acted romantically towards her. He just treated her as a friend.

Seven felt a little sad. She decided that she would apologize to the Doctor the first chance she got. Her conduct had been unacceptable. She would correct the problem.

Suddenly the holodeck began to shimmer all around her. Seven got up and looked around curiously. Then, a door appeared and Lieutenant Torres walked in.

"Well, Seven. Have you guys been having a fun time here for the last 6 or 7 hours?" B'Elanna said angrily.

"We have not," Seven said simply.

"Well the rest of the crew hasn't. We've been working our tails off while you two have been lounging around in here. You two owe us big time."

B'Elanna looked around. "Where's the Doctor?"

"The Doctor is… hiding. He is malfunctioning. He has reverted back to his original programming."

"How did that happen?"

His program disappeared when we were hit. When I reactivated his holoemitter, he had forgotten everything."

"You shouldn't mess with technology you don't understand," B'Elanna said vehemently.

"It won't help to be angry about it. We should work on finding him."

"That's easy now that the computer is back on line here. Computer, end program."

The beautiful beach surroundings disappeared. The cold grey holodeck walls surrounded them. They could see the Doctor crouched in one corner with his head in his hands. B'Elanna looked questioningly at Seven, but the borg didn't show any sign of recognition. The two women walked up to the Doctor, who got up as they approached him. He still had a look of fear on his face.

"Why isn't he wearing a shirt?" B'Elanna asked accusingly, raising an eyebrow at Seven.

"You stay away from me, and who are you? Keep back," the Doctor cried.

"Computer, end EMH program," B'Elanna said irritably.

The Doctor shimmered out of view. His holo-emitter fell to the floor and B'Elanna picked it up. "I'm going to work on restoring the Doctor's program, I suggest you go to Astrometrics and contact the Captain," the half-klingon ordered. She walked out of the holodeck briskly.

"Thank you," Seven called. She looked back at the holodeck and spotted the Doctor's holo-imager. She retrieved it, and finding that it was still on, she shut off the power. She then exited the Holodeck and headed to Astrometrics.

* * * * * *

Torres had done it! She managed to salvage the Doctors program, but in order to restore him to his 6 year old self, she had to erase any memories of his alternate being on the Holodeck for the past 6 or 7 hours. She had discussed it with the Captain and it had been agreed that it was worth the loss. She reactivated him.

"Please state the…. B'Elanna! Where am I? What happened? Where's Seven?" he asked anxiously.

"Doctor, it's all right. The blast knocked your program off line, but we've got it back now." B'Elanna explained. "Seven reinitialized you but somehow your program was restarted at your original point of activation. You spent 6 or 7 hours that way, but I got you back to normal now."

"That's funny. I… I don't remember," the Doctor mused.

"I had to erase that time period from your program in order to get you back. I'm sorry. Maybe you can ask Seven what happened."

"Is she all right?" the Doctor asked worriedly.

"She's fine," B'Elanna said as she headed for Sickbay's doors.

The Doctor watched Torres leave. _I sure hope I didn't make a fool of myself with Seven_ – he thought.

* * * * * *

"Torres to Seven," B'Elanna called.

"Seven here."

"I thought you'd like to know that I fixed the Doctor," the half-Klingon said.

"Thank you for informing me," said Seven.

"Your welcome. I'm going to get some rest now, it's been a long day. Torres out."

Seven punched the buttons on her console absently. She was thinking about what to do about the Doctor. She decided that a straight forward apology would be best and then she would put these foolish emotions out of her mind. Maybe a visit with Tuvok would help too. She felt a slight stinging in her arm and looked down at it. It was bound in a towel. She had forgotten about her burn. Perhaps this was a good time to visit Sickbay and get her problem off her chest. Picking up the Doctor's holo-imager, she left Astrometrics and headed to Sickbay.

When the doors opened, Seven felt sick. Nervousness swept over her for the first time. Straightening herself she commanded, "Computer activate the Emergency Medical Hologram."

The Doctor shimmered into view.

"Please state…. Oh Seven, it's you!" he said enthusiastically. "It's so good to see you!"

Seven felt her knees getting weak. Why was he so irresistible all of a sudden? She didn't want to feel this way. She couldn't.

"I have brought you your holo-imager. You left it on the Holodeck," she said slowly, handing it to him, trying not to act too nice.

"Why thank you, that's very kind," he said smiling warmly. Seven almost melted.

"What's this?" he asked looking at her wrapped arm.

"I received first degree burns in the Holodeck blast," Seven said softly.

"Well let me treat you," the Doctor said anxiously.

Seven watched as the Doctor unwrapped the towel from her arm. _He has the nicest hands_ – she thought. _Stop it!!_ – she chided herself. _He cares for me as a friend, nothing more. I've got to get these silly thoughts out of my head._

She took a deep breath. _I have to apologize NOW_ – she thought.

"Well, well. These plants were a good idea, Seven," the Doctor praised.

"Yes, you were very inventful," said Seven.

"Me?" the Doctor asked while running the dermal regenerator over her arm.

"Don't you remember?" Seven asked.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you. B'Elanna had to erase my memory of our time on the Holodeck after the blast in order to retrieve my program. You'll have to fill me in," the Doctor smiled.

Seven just stared. Relief washed over her. Now she would never have to reveal her actions on the Holodeck!

"Seven?"

"Sorry, Doctor."

"I want to apologize in case…. I did anything untoward during our time together. I can only hope that I didn't," the Doctor said.

"You were different, amusing," was all Seven could say. "I will have to tell you about it…. Another time."

"How about tomorrow evening, 1900 hrs?" the Doctor asked, never missing a chance to go out with his love.

"I look forward to it," she replied.

She turned and left Sickbay, leaving the Doctor alone with his holo-imager. He put his medical instruments away and went to his desk. Sitting back in his chair, the Doctor thought about Seven. _I wish I had the nerve to say something to her. To tell her how I feel_ – he thought. _I can't, though. She only thinks of me as a friend, a guide. She's made that perfectly clear. I have to stop this foolish train of thought._

The holo-imager lay on his desk, a small light on it flashing. The Doctor looked at it curiously. _That's odd_ – he thought.

The holo-imager had captured 563 images in the last day. _But I never even had the chance to use my imager_ – he thought

He faced the imager towards the opposite wall and projected the images onto it. The first few were of a sunset. Then there was one of him. He was wearing navy shorts and no shirt. _This looks like the holodeck program Seven and I were running. Why don't I have a shirt on?_ – he wondered.

The next image was of Seven and him standing a bit apart. The next was of them together this time, close. The next image was of Seven kissing him on the cheek. The next few images after that were nothing but blurs but then he saw several images of Seven and himself dancing very closely. The Doctor shifted around in his seat nervously.

The next image was unbelievable. He saw Seven and himself locked in a kiss, and there was nothing platonic about it.

"Pause replay," he ordered. The Doctor's mouth hung open in astonishment at the sight. In this image, Seven looked like the aggressor, her hands on the Doctor's neck and her leg up against his.

"Play," he ordered.

The next image showed the Doctor turned away from Seven with a frightened look on his face. The next image showed Seven standing alone, looking off into the distance. Then there was nothing. There were no more images with people in it. The Doctor played the images to the end. There were hundreds of them. He realized that it must have been left on, snapping images every 20 seconds or so, without Seven's or his knowledge. He shut his imager off and stared at the grey wall.

_My God_ – the Doctor thought. _What does it mean?_

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	2. Chapter 2

Title: Marooned - Part 2  
Author: Heather  
Contact:   
Rating: PG for some implied Doctor nudity!!!  
Summary: D/7, slight J/C. Initially inspired by a challenge by Vell. Seven tries to forget about what happened on the Holodeck, to no avail. The Doctor is caught in a compromising situation! The Captain has some fun....  
Disclaimer: I love Voyager. Please don't punish me for writing a story about it. I wish I could live at Paramount!!

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Images flickered upon the cold grey walls. Images of unremembered times, images that warmed his soul. The Doctor paused playback when the image of Seven embracing him came up. How he wished he could remember that moment… how he wished he could recall the taste of her lips.

He got up from his desk and drew closer to the projected image. He ran his hand along the side of Seven's face, while staring at her expression, trying to read the look on her face. She looked so… forceful.

The Doctor smiled as he imagined Seven forcing herself onto him. He liked that idea.

The sound of Sickbay's doors opening jolted him back to reality. He nearly tripped over his own feet trying to get to the holo-imager to shut it off before the visitor could see what he had been looking at. The image began to fade off the wall just as Tom Paris walked in.

"Ahhh, Mr. Paris," the Doctor said guiltily.

Tom smiled. "Doc, what were you doing?"

"I was, ah, viewing some medical files."

"Medical files, huh?" Tom stepped past the Doctor, sidling towards the holo-imager.

"Mr. Paris… DON'T!!" the Doctor yelled frantically, rushing into the office and grabbing for the imager.

But Tom was quicker. He grasped the imager tightly, backing away from the Doctor.

"Tom, give it back, now!!" the Doctor said.

"No, not until you tell me what's on it… or should I just check myself…?" Tom started fiddling with the buttons.

"I.. I'll tell you. Just give it back," the Doctor sputtered while frantically grabbing for his imager.

"I don't think so," Tom said, laughing and pressing the play button. But his eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open when he saw the image projected onto the wall.

"Is this for real?!" he asked.

The Doctor trudged to his desk and sat down. "I don't know. I cant remember."

"You can't remember something like this? Does this have something to do with when you and Seven were stuck on the holodeck yesterday? B'Elanna mentioned something about that…" Tom said.

"Yes, she had to erase my memory of the events on the holodeck in order to retrieve my present program. Now I'm starting to wonder if that was such a good idea," the Doctor moaned.

"Well Doc, you've got to ask Seven about _that_," Tom said, turning his gaze back to the picture on the wall. "Wow."

Seven of Nine was working on a very complex set of calculations. It challenged her mind, and kept it occupied. She needed that more than anything now. If she stopped for a moment, her mind would begin to wander. And if her mind began to wander, she would start to think of _him_. He had beautiful eyes, and his smile was infectious. All it took was one look at his smile, and she would begin to smile herself… The console that she was working on emitted a series of ill-sounding beeps, startling her. _I am becoming weak - _she chided herself. _I cannot allow myself to become distracted and make errors._

Seven tried to continue with her work but she could not stop the flow of images in her mind. Finally she banged her fist down on her workstation, and stopped working.

She was so relieved that the Doctor did not know of her display on the holodeck. She had been a fool.. giving in to her emotions. Emotions she didn't even realize she had. _I am damaged - _she thought. _What's wrong with me?_

Captain Janeway was in a foul mood. There was no coffee anywhere and she needed it. B'Elanna had found a malfunction in several of the bioneural gelpacks. The replicators had gone down at 0400 hours and Neelix had neglected to put some beans aside for her in case of emergencies. Chakotay had jokingly suggested that she skip her bridge duty for the safety of the crew, and she had snapped at him in front of everyone. She felt like crap. Finally, after staying on the bridge for 2 hours, she had given in and decided to go to Sickbay for a quick fix. If the Doctor put up one of his fights, she'd delete him….

Getting to Sickbay, she trudged in and threw herself onto a biobed. She shut her eyes and waited. "Computer, lower ambient lighting by 50%" she ordered. The computer complied. After what seemed like an eternity, she snapped. "Doctor," she growled. Another minute passed. "DOCTOR," she screeched, sitting up. The Doctor and Tom emerged from the office with disturbed looks on their faces.

"Captain? Are you alright?" Tom said.

"Does it look like I'm alright? Tell the Doctor to get the hell over here. I need a shot of caffeine, NOW," the Captain ordered, squinting to see if the Doctor was coming.

The Doctor grabbed for a hypospray and filled it. He came over to the Captain and injected it into her. Janeway seemed surprised. "Aren't you going to argue with me?" she muttered, feeling the drug running through her veins.

"Why bother?" the Doctor replied.

"Good choice," the Captain said, smiling inwardly, remembering her earlier threat of deletion. She was starting to feel better.

Seven had retired to the holodeck. Something inside told her to go there, that she would be able to think more clearly in the same environment where her troubles had begun. She had initiated the Beach program and now all that was missing was the Doctor. Of course that was the last thing she wanted right now. There was no way that she could face him right now. She knew that she had a "date" with him at 1900 hours that evening… Perhaps she could cancel… no…. then the Doctor would suspect something was wrong and she couldn't let that happen. All must appear normal as it was before.

_I must prepare myself -_ she thought. _I must test myself to see if I can handle this._

"Computer, duplicate image of the Emergency Medical Hologram."

"The Emergency Medical Hologram's program contains too many integrated files to permit duplication," the Computer replied.

"Computer, duplicate only the interactive and physical subroutines."

"Warning, no medical files will be available for access in this hologram."

"Proceed."

The Doctor shimmered into view on the holodeck. "Hello, Seven," he smiled.

Seven felt nervous, her heart racing, "Computer, pause the Doctor program."

The duplicate Doctor froze.

"Computer, locate the Emegency Medical Hologram."

"The EMH is in Sickbay."

She didn't want there to be any mistakes.

Captain Janeway raised herself off of the biobed and headed for the door. She paused momentarily and turned to face the Doctor. "Doctor, about the bioneural gelpack problem we're having… I need you to run some tests on some samples of barillium we picked up on our last excursion. B'Elanna suggested that maybe they could be used to enhance the efficiency of the gel packs.

"I'll get right on it," said the Doctor.

"Let me know when you have the results, ok?" Janeway called as she left.

"Computer, have the doctor program respond randomly to my queries from the algorythms I have programmed," Seven ordered.

The Computer beeped in compliance.

Seven faced the duplicate doctor. She took a deep breath. "Doctor, I must tell you something of extreme importance," she began.

The hologram looked at her.

"I have become romantically attracted to you. I wish to further our relationship from friends to…. boyfriend and girlfriend." Seven felt a huge lump growing in her throat. Her chest felt tight and she felt very warm. It was extremely unpleasant.

The hologram walked closer to her and said, "Seven, I'm sorry. I regard you as the closest of friends, but nothing more. You need to be with someone who is flesh and blood. Someone you can grow old with. I'm not that person."

Seven felt a piercing pain in her heart. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she suddenly felt very sick to her stomach. "Computer, reset doctor program," she called weakly.

The hologram quickly shimmered away and then appeared in his original location. He looked at her.

Seven took a deep breath and began again, "Doctor, may I tell you something?"

"Why of course, Seven," the hologram replied.

"Over the past few months, I have come to realize that I have become romantically attracted to you. I wish to further our relationship and would like to know if you feel the same." Again, Seven felt the extreme uncomfort of her nervousness. She hoped that the random response the hologram would give would be one of reciprocation.

"Seven, I don't know what to say. I'm extremely flattered to say the least…"

Seven felt sick to her stomach again. She couldn't bear his rejection, not again. "Computer, reset doctor program."

Again the hologram shimmered to its original position.

"Computer, run algorithm omega 7 via the doctor program," Seven commanded.

She turned to the hologram and said, "Doctor, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" the hologram asked.

"I… love you, Doctor," Seven managed to say, despite the deafening pounding of her heart.

The hologram drew closer to Seven. He put his hand on her cheek and stroked it gently. Then he said, "I love you too, Seven. I always have." Seven felt the sick feeling leaving her body. It was replaced with a feeling of elation, a tingly sensation coursing through her body. It was not unpleasant. The hologram leaned into her and brushed his lips against hers. A short breath escaped from her lips and then she kissed him back fiercely with a want and need that she didn't know was in her.

A beeping sound interrupted her reverie.

"Holodeck door lock being overridden by Captain Janeway," the Computer announced.

Seven had just enough time to pull herself away from the hologram before Captain Janeway stepped into the holodeck. She looked surprised when she saw Seven and the Doctor inside.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you two, but I believe that I have the holodeck reserved from 1200 to 1300hrs. It's 1205… I tried to announce my presence but you obviously were using a locking mechanism on the door." Janeway looked at the Doctor with a slightly accusatory look.

"We're sorry Captain. We shall be going now." Seven said. Then panic started to rise within her. How would she end the doctor program without tipping Janeway off? As she hesitated, Captain Janeway said, "Doctor, did you find out anything yet about the barillium?"

The hologram looked confused. "The barillium?" he said blankly.

"The barillium. Can it could be used to enhance the efficiency of the bioneural gel packs?" the Captain asked impatiently.

The hologram just continued to stare blankly at the Captain. Seven knew that without medical knowledge, the hologram was clueless to questions like these… she had to act quickly.

"Captain, the Doctor has asked me to help him. We will get back to you as soon as possible," Seven said quickly as she grabbed the hologram's arm and walked towards the exit. "Have a pleasurable time," she added.

Janeway looked slightly confused but she let the matter drop.

"Computer, deactivate the doctor program," Seven said.

The hologram shimmered away and Seven gave one last look to the Captain before she retreated.

Janeway paused for a moment, trying to assess what had just transpired. When she couldn't come up with anything, she shrugged and said, "Computer, lock holodeck doors. Initiate holoprogram Janeway 27."

A beautiful field appeared. The soft, warm wind was blowing the flowers and long green grasses in a soothing manner. Off in the distance, a man was walking towards her. She could make out the smile on his face, the thick, dark hair, his strong, stocky build. "Chakotay," she called and ran to meet him in the grass.

The Doctor ran the tricorder over his patient, silently contemplating the information being fed into it.

"Commander, you can't possibly expect to run holodeck programs with the safety off and think you're going to come out of it unscathed," he scolded.

Commander Chakotay grinned sheepishly under his bruised and bloodied face. He shot a look of help at Ensign Paris, but the young man only smiled at him.

"Doctor, you know how I love to box. Well, it doesn't feel the same with the safety on. I need to know that the threat of being knocked out is real, you know?"

"No, I don't know. I'll never understand the human need to feel unnescessary pain when it can be avoided so easily," the Doctor sighed.

He ran a dermal regenerator over Chakotay's wounds. When he was finished, Chakotay got up and grabbed his gloves that were resting on the adjoining bed. "Thank you Doctor. I will try to be more careful next time!"

He exited Sickbay with an amused look on his face.

The Doctor shook his head.

Seven strode down the hall. She was relieved that Captain Janeway had not asked the hologram more questions. She could have been found out. And what would have been her explanation? She was aware that duplicating crew members on the holodeck without their permission was frowned upon. Seven just sighed and decided that she was very glad that nothing had come of it.

Then suddenly, she stopped. Something had come of it. The hologram had kissed her, and she had never felt so alive in her life. It was the same feeling she had gotten when she had kissed the Doctor when they were trapped on the holodeck. She was also aware of the feeling she had gotten when the hologram had rejected her. Seven caught her breath. She never wanted to feel that way again, never. So what could she do? These dreadful emotions. As a borg, she had never experienced nervousness or pain or elation. She had a task and she did it without a second thought. Now, she must debate and go over every action, or else there could be dire consequences. She valued the Doctors friendship and would never do anything to risk losing that. Seven decided that before revealing her feelings to the Doctor, she must first assess if he had similar feelings for her. If he didn't reciprocate, she would never tell him. It wasn't worth it.

She took the turbolift to Deck Eight.

The doctor ran his final test on the cube of barillium. He checked the readout on his computer and smiled.

"So, Mr. Paris. What do you think?" he quieried.

"It looks good, Doc. You've gotta admit that I've got one smart girlfriend!" Tom boasted.

"Lieutenant Torres is very resourceful. It's a wonder she got hooked up with you…"

"Ooooh!" Tom winced.

"Well, you know what they say about opposites attracting…." The Doctor quipped.

"Hey, Doc. Enough picking on me for one day! Come on, I thought we were buddies"

"Hmmm," the Doctor sighed.

"Hey, I do keep all of your dirty little secrets," Tom reminded him.

The Doctor just eyed Tom with an exasperated look. "Would you mind watching Sickbay while I give my findings to the Captain?"

"No problem!" Tom replied.

"Just don't get into any trouble," the Doctor scolded while grabbing his holo-emitter and attaching it to his arm.

On her way to Cargo Bay 2, Seven got an idea.

Seven called, "Computer, locate the EMH."

"The EMH is in Sickbay," the computer responded.

_Maybe I'll just drop by Sickbay to do some assessment right now_ - she mused

"Computer, locate Captain Janeway" the Doctor ordered.

"Captain Janeway is in Holodeck One."

The Doctor headed for the turbolift. _The Captain's going to be so pleased!_ - he thought happily.

Tom stretched lazily in his chair. Arms behind his head, he let out a huge yawn. He hated his shifts in Sickbay. The time went by so slowly, and having only the Doc for company was almost too much for Tom to handle sometimes.

His eyes wandered slowly around the room, seeing if there was anything new or interesting that he could check out. His gaze fell upon the Doctor's holo-imager lying on the desk in front of him. He knew that he really shouldn't snoop, but his curiousity got the better of him. Wondering what other interesting photos might be on the device, he leaned forward and flipped it on. The image of Seven kissing the Doctor came on. _Go, Seven!_ - he thought amusedly.

"Computer, play images starting from frame 1," Tom called.

Seven took a deep gulp of breath as she neared Sickbay. She had to act as normal as possible, even though her heart was racing at an impossible speed. The doors to Sickbay parted in front of her and she stepped into the room. Looking from side to side as she walked, Seven surveyed the room looking for the Doctor. Spotting Tom Paris in the office, she strode up to him.

But when she saw images of herself and the Doctor projected on the wall, her mouth hung open her eyes grew wide with terror. When she finally looked over at Tom, his face was a mirror of her own.

"Sev… I didn't hear…. you c.. come in. Oh my God," was all that Tom could manage.

"Ensign Paris, what is the meaning of this?" Seven heard herself say.

"Oh, God. You weren't supposed to see these. The Doctor's gonna kill me."

"The Doctor?"

"Yeah, they're from yesterday on the Holodeck. The Doc couldn't remember any of this happening. Shoot, I'm in deep crap now," Tom moaned.

Seven just stared at Tom.

"Mr. Paris, I believe that I will need to speak to the Doctor privately about this matter. Would you mind leaving?"

"I'd be happy to. The Doc should be back any time."

Tom got up quickly and scurried out of the room, leaving Seven to ponder the images on the wall.

The Doctor pressed the chime on the door to Holodeck One. After a few moments he pressed it again.

"Who is it?" an angry voice finally responded, a little out of breath.

"Captain, it's me, the Doctor. I have some good news!" the Doctor said cheerfully.

Several moments of silence, then the doors opened. Janeway stood at the entrance looking very annoyed.

"First, you and Seven take over my holodeck time and now you're interrupting me when my time's almost up. What's with you today, Doctor?"

"Seven and I didn't take over your holodeck time, Captain."

"Fifty minutes ago, I interrupted you and Seven in here, remember?"

"Captain?"

"Doctor, are you telling me you can't remember being here less than an hour ago?" The Captain paused, "I asked you about the barillium. Seven said that you and her were going to work on it together."

The Doctor's mind was still blank, but he decided that due to the Captain's apparent rising anger, he would play along with her..

"Ahh… yes. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt you Captain but I have the results of my findings on the barillium."

The Captain sighed and wiped some sweat off her forehead. She grabbed the padd that the Doctor was holding and started reading it. "Well, what did you find?"

"The barillium should make an excellent improvement to the efficiency of the gel packs."

"Great. Let Lieutenant Torres know. Keep me posted. Now is that all? I'd like to get back to the 5 minutes I have left of my program." Janeway handed the padd back to the Doctor.

"Of course," the Doctor said, still slightly confused.

He turned and left the Catain. _I'm going to run a self-diagnostic as soon as I get back to Sickbay_ - he thought..

Seven stared at the images for a few minutes more, and then switched the imager off. Looking around like a guilty child, she snatched the imager and called out, "Computer, locate the EMH."

"The EMH is in the hall on Deck 5."

_Oh no!_ she thought. Quickly, she went to the far side of Sickbay and opened the door to the Jeffries tube passage. It was her only way out. She couldn't confront him. Seven crawled inside the tube and closed the door behind her. She started to crawl away but then stopped and turned around. Perhaps now was a good time to observe the Doctor's actions. She cracked open the access door just a millimeter and waited.

The Doctor walked into Sickbay, still pondering the meaning of the Captain's earlier comments. Noticing that Tom was gone, he sighed and shook his head.

"Computer run self-diagnostic on EMH."

The computer beeped and said, "Running diagnostic. Diagnostic complete."

The Doctor scanned the findings on his screen. He was performing at peak efficiency.

"Computer, has anyone tampered with my memory algorithms in the last 12 hours?"

"Negative."

_So why can't I remember what the Captain was talking about?_ Then it hit him. There had to be something wrong with the Captain.

"Computer, run medical scans on Captain Janeway, medical clearance 147Beta."

The computer complied and the Doctor frowned while analyzing the readout. Above normal pulse, above normal respiration, above normal vascular pressure, but besides that, everything else seemed normal. Blaming it on fatigue or stress, he decided not to go into it any further unless the Captain brought it up again.

Humming softly, the Doctor brought up some weekly medical exam files that needed to be catalogued and went to work on them.

Seven shifted uncomfortably in the tube. Her Borg body was not used to laying stomach down on hard titanium, but it was a discomfort she didn't mind enduring if she could get an idea as to what the Doctor was thinking about those images. She watched as the Doctor moved around Sickbay, humming softly and going about his routine. _He is very pleasing to the eye_ - she thought critically. _A pleasing body, strong arms and legs, deft hands, broad shoulders, straight neck, warm, comforting eyes, soft lips…._ she stopped herself from thinking these thoughts. _I am feeling strange, I must stop this at once._ - she chided herself.

All done with his duties, the Doctor decided to prepare for his date with Seven.

"Computer, lock entrance doors to Sickbay."

"Doors locked."

The Doctor then went over to a wall closet and opened it. He took out a tall mirror and set it against the wall. "Computer, change EMH's clothing parameters to program Gamma 16." The blue and black Starfleet uniform was replaced with a grey button-up shirt and black pants. The Doctor looked at his reflection as he stretched, bent over, and turned around.

"Computer, change EMH's clothing parameters to program Gamma 17."

Over and over the Doctor changed his clothing, trying to find the perfect outfit.

Seven was amused at the way the Doctor was surveying himself in the mirror. She smiled despite herself, a wide teeth revealing grin. She herself had never gone to so much trouble in choosing something to wear. Her unitards came in different colors but she never chose one over another because she preferred a hue. She considered teasing the Doctor about his actions the next time she met up with him, but then she reminded herself that he didn't know she was watching him. Seven moved again; uncomfortably, in the tube, making not a sound. Then, her mouth opened in shock at the sight she was witnessing through the crack of the door in front of her.

"Computer, delete EMH's clothing."

The Doctor stood naked in front of his mirror, looking himself over. He was a well muscled, lean man if he must say so himself. Still, he sucked in his stomach a bit and straightened up. He ran his hand down the front of his chest through the dark hair upon it. He made some arm clenches , and then stepped closer to the mirror. _What's the use?_ he thought. _Seven's never going to see me this way, anyway…_

"Computer reinstall standard clothing parameters to EMH." The Doctor said a little sadly.

The computer complied.

"Computer, unlock entrance doors to Sickbay."

The Doctor felt dejected as he put away his mirror and trudged over to his desk.

Seven was still reeling in shock from what she had just seen. She felt a mixture of new emotions, all very good. It was strange; she had never even thought of the Doctor in that manner before. She was aware that he had a physical body, but the appearance of it had seemed unimportant before; not anymore… She felt flushed.

The Doctor sat in his chair, deep in thought. He started to hum again. Then, quite suddenly, his eyes began to dart around the room. They grew wider as he got up and started flinging things off his desk as he searched for something.

"Doctor to Ensign Paris." He called frantically

"Paris here."

"Ensign, where's my holo-imager?"

There was a long silence.

"Ah… Doc…. Seven's got it."

"Seven?!!!" the Doctor practically screamed.

When Seven heard the Doctor scream her name, she quickly got to her knees and started crawling away from Sickbay. She had never crawled so fast in her life..

"Computer locate Seven of Nine," the Doctor ordered frantically.

"Seven of Nine is in Jeffries Tube 19, Deck 5."

The Doctor spun around, bolting to the access door at the far end of the room. It was open a crack, and when the Doctor opened the door and looked inside, he saw his holo-imager laying on the floor of the Jeffries tube, and he could hear the distant clacking of metal against metal….

******************************************


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Marooned - Part 3  
Author: Heather  
Contact:   
Rating: PG  
Summary: D/7  
Disclaimer: I love Voyager. Please don't punish me for writing a story about it. I wish I could live at Paramount!!

Note: Sorry about the HUMONGOUS wait on Part Three and thank you for all the kind encouraging feedback! Since I started this story during Season Six, please assume that Unimatrix Zero and Human Error (yuck) never happened.

The Doctor retrieved his holo-imager from the Jeffries tube. He looked at it solemnly. _How can one little device cause so much trouble?_ - he thought dejectedly.

Sighing, he put the machine on his desk and plopped down on his chair. He was completely and utterly confused. First, the mystery of what had happened on the Holodeck with Seven, then the strange behavior of the Captain, and finally what Seven was doing spying on him... The Doctor rubbed his forehead in frustration.

* * * * * *

Ensign Redmond was hard at work on Deck Two, section 34 when the door to the Jeffries tube flew open behind him. Seven practically tumbled out of the passage. She looked slightly embarrassed as she peeled herself off the floor and straightened her clothing before turning to the surprised Ensign.

"Excuse me. I did not mean to startle you," the ex-Borg said slowly in her usual cold demeanor.

"Oh.. oh that's okay," smiled Redmond. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"No. Proceed with your designated task," Seven stated harshly. She turned to go, but then decided to add in a softer voice, "Thank you, Ensign," before leaving. Ensign Redmond just shrugged and continued with his duty.

The hall loomed before Seven of Nine like the mouth of a larqe beast. She didn't know where to go. Sickbay was definitely out of the question, and Astrometrics and Cargo Bay 2 seemed like bad ideas. The Mess Hall was located on this deck, and her internal chronometer told her that it was within a tolerable time period to ingest a nutritional supplement, so she decided to head there.

_I hope the Mess Hall is not congested tonight_ - Seven worried inwardly. When the whoosh of the doors admitted her, she was glad to see that the room was pretty much deserted. Seven could hear the clattering of kitchenware coming from the main cooking area. A furry head popped up from behind the counter and smiled at her.

"Seven! What a pleasant surprise! Have you come for a plate of my famed 'coeur d'ourson'? Or perhaps you'd like some 'Rootin' Tootin' Chili?"

Seven looked down at the pesky Talaxian, "No," she said simply and turned towards the replicators. Seven ordered Nutritional Supplement 36beta and removed the cup of steaming liquid from the machine on the wall. She picked a table by the window, and sat down. After taking a quick survey of the room, she ordered, "Computer, locate the Doctor."

"The Doctor is in Sickbay," the Computer answered obediently.

Seven breathed a sigh of relief and began to sip her food. She stared out into the sparkling expanse of space before her but Seven wasn't looking at the beauty of the stars. She was caught up in the memories that the last 48 hours had provided her. What a great deal had transpired in that period! Seven had managed to damage the relationship between herself and the Doctor by letting random impulses and emotions affect her actions. Why _had_ she kissed the Doctor in the Holodeck? What did it mean? _What a fool I've been_ - she thought. A chipper voice interrupted Sevens thoughts.

"You know, I've always found that a sweet dessert can lift my spirits in a way that not much else can. Don't you agree?" In his hand he held a plate of food. Seven looked annoyedly up at Neelix.

"I don't know, I've never ingested a dessert. They are nutritionally deficient."

"Oh, well, nutritional value isn't always that important. When you're feeling blue - a rush of sugar can be really therapeutic."

Seven arched her metallic brow and replied, "I have never thought of it that way."

"Well, you _could_ ask the Doctor. I'm sure he'd love to tell you about the qualitative studies done on sugar."

"That will not be necessary," Seven blushed. "Give me the dessert. I will try it."

Neelix beamed as he handed Seven the plate with a huge mountain of chocolate cake and ice cream on it. He had adorned the confection with several ripe, red strawberries that glistened in the soft light of the room. Seven picked up a spoon from the table and delicately scooped some of the treat into her mouth. She smiled in spite of herself. The dessert _was_ delicious.

Neelix had been watching with an undisguised look of anticipation and when he saw her smile, he gushed, "See?! It's working isn't it?! You're feeling better already!"

Seven regained her former composure and said, "I am feeling... slightly improved. Thank you." The Talaxian grinned and turned back to his kitchen.

* * * * * *

The Doctor swiveled nervously in his chair, pondering the choice he was making. He was seriously considering going to the Captain to ask her to clarify one of his little mysteries. The Captain had distinctly told him that Seven had been working on the baryllium problem with him. How could she have made such a false statement? There had to be something more to this, and the Doctor had a feeling it had to do with the recent events with Seven.

"Doctor to Captain Janeway," the hologram called.

After about ten seconds, the familiar voice replied, "Janeway here. What can I do for you Doctor?"

"Captain, I must speak with you immediately," the Doctor said.

"Can it wait? I'm up to my ears in reports today."

"Actually it can't, Captain. It won't take long, I promise."

"Very well, meet me in my Ready Room."

"Aye, Captain."

* * * * * *

Seven popped the last juicy strawberry into her mouth, savoring the sweet, freshness of it. An empty plate lay in front of her, the evidence of what she'd done. Seven rubbed her abdomen, noticing a strange feeling developing there. She felt as if she had ingested a huge rock, not some cake and ice cream. She picked up the empty plate and brought it over to the replicator. "Recycle," she ordered. The plate shimmered away. Seven walked out of the Mess Hall and decided it would be safe to head for the Cargo Bay. When she arrived there, she ordered a lock on the doors and sat on one of the blinking alcoves. Seven rubbed her stomach again, uncomfortable with the feeling of fullness.

* * * * * *

The Doctor nervously stood outside the Captain's Ready Room and rang her door chime. "Come in," came a voice from within. The Doctor slowly edged into the room. The Captain was sitting at her desk, scanning a PADD that she held in her hands, but she looked up when the EMH neared her desk. "Doctor, I hope this is important," she scowled.

"It is, Captain. I believe my program may be malfunctioning."

Janeway gave him a quizzical look, "I'm sure B'Elanna can help you with that. Why come to me?"

"I came to you because I thought you could shed some light on something you mentioned earlier."

Janeway put down the PADD and looked up at him, "Go ahead."

The Doctor moistened his lips, "Earlier, you mentioned that Seven and I had been on the holodeck today. Well, the last time I recall being with her was yesterday when we had the problems."

"You don't remember talking to me about the baryllium?"

The hologram shook his head.

"Did you ask Seven?"

The hologram blushed slightly and said, "No Captain. We're having... difficulty talking right now."

The Captain gave the Doctor a strange look.

"Captain, may I have permission to check the Holodeck logs? It might give me some clue as to what's going on here."

"I don't think that's necessary. I suggest you get over whatever it is you have going on with Seven, and ask her."

"But Captain!" the hologram protested.

"Doctor, the crew's holodeck programs are none of our business. It would be wrong to invade their privacy. Speak to B'Elanna if you can't talk to Seven. Have her run a diagnostic."

The Doctor nodded and left with a "Thank you."

The Captain waited a moment and then ordered, "Computer, encrypt holodeck program Janeway54, authorization Janeway Alpha 94Red."

* * * * * *

Seven stepped out from a small curtained area in the corner, dressed in a navy tank top and leggings with a silver stripe running up her right side. Instead of her customary high heels, she had on silver athletic shoes. She commanded, "Computer, play music selection workout15." The Computer beeped and began to play a rigorous musical piece. She began to run laps in the Cargo Bay. Before long a small beep of her combadge interrupted Seven's thoughts. "Doctor to Seven of Nine."

Seven froze and began to feel her heart pound in her ears. "Seven here," she managed to squeak out.

"Seven, I need to speak to you."

"Concerning?"

"Uh, ah, I was hoping you could shed some light on some events that have transpired recently."

"That won't be possible, Doctor. I am extremely busy at the moment."

"Seven, I really nee…."

"Seven out."

The Doctor let out a huge sigh. It was obvious that Seven wasn't willing to talk with him, so that left him with only one option. He might be going against the Captain's orders but he didn't care. He headed for the Holodeck.

* * * * * *

Seven did a couple more laps of the Cargo Bay before she collapsed in fatigue onto one of the alcoves. Why did the Doctor have to be so... bothersome? She wanted to move on, away from the past, and all he seemed to want to do was dredge it up. This would make it almost impossible for her to work with him in the future. Seven gasped for air, trying to breathe normally. It was unlike her to be so affected by a workout. She was sweating profusely and felt almost sick to her stomach. Itching her hand absently, she suddenly felt lightheaded. Seven glanced down at her hands and saw that they were covered in large red welts. Gripping the edge of the platform, she tapped her combadge, "Seven to Mr. Paris."

"Paris here."

"Mr. Paris, report to Cargo Bay 2. I require your assistance."

"On my way," Tom replied.

* * * * * *

The Doctor scrolled through the days holodeck logs, looking for any strange looking entries. _What is this?_ - he thought.

Seven had run several encrypted programs in the last few days. One of these in particular had been running from 1100 to 1205 that morning – right before Captain Janeway had run an encrypted program of her own… _What's with all the secrecy??_ - the Doctor wondered.

"Computer run holodeck program Seven Alpha 11."

"Unable to comply. This program is protected by security protocols."

"Computer, run holodeck program Seven Alpha 11, authorization Torres Yellow 336." The Doctor cringed, waiting to see if his stolen password would work. After a few seconds, the computer said, "Program activated on Holodeck One."

The Doctor looked around nervously and stepped into the room. He couldn't believe the sight before him.

* * * * * *

Tom stood in front of the door to Cargo Bay 2. He was actually glad he had been summoned. He had been stuck back in Sickbay again while the Doctor went on some errands. He rang the door chime and when he didn't get a response, he activated the door and stepped inside. He saw Seven laying across the platform of the alcoves and ran over to see what was wrong. Seven was shaking and she had red bumps all over her.

"Help me," she whispered.

"Seven, what happened?" He ran a tricorder over her.

"Please treat me."

"Seven, I can't tell what's wrong with you. I'm taking you to Sickbay. The Doc…"

"No! You must treat me yourself. Please!"

"Seven, this could be serious and I don't have the same expertise the Doc has."

"I must not be treated by the Doctor. Please… When I first came aboard Voyager, you told me that if there was anything you could do for me, you would grant my request... This is my request."

Tom saw the desperate look in Seven's eyes and caved. "Fine, I'll do what I can... but no promises ok?"

"Thank you."

Tom looked up at the ceiling and said, "Computer, locate the Doctor."

"The Doctor is in Holodeck One."

"Computer, I need a site to site transport of Seven and myself to Sickbay."

On command, the two shimmered into Sickbay. Tom helped Seven onto a biobed and then grabbed a medical tricorder.

* * * * * *

"Hello Seven."

The Doctor stared at _himself_ in amazement. An exact replica of himself stood before him calling him 'Seven'. He didn't know how to react.

* * * * * *

Tom grabbed a hypospray with hydrocortisone and injected Seven with it. By this time she was breathing raggedly, finding it hard to draw air into her lungs.

"The medicine should do the trick," Tom said soothingly. He ran a medical tricorder over her and got a worried look on his face. Seven took a deep gasp of air and then started convulsing on the biobed.

"NO!" Tom yelled. "Tom to the Doctor. Medical emergency in Sickbay… It's Seven!"

* * * * * *

The Doctor was about to talk to the hologram when he heard Tom's page. He yelled, "Computer, transfer the EMH to Sickbay."

The Doctor shimmered into the room and ran over to Seven's side. She was shaking and gasping for breath. She had a desperate look in her eyes.

"Doc, you've got to help her. I gave her hydrocortisone but it didn't help."

The Doctor ran a medical tricorder over her and reacted automatically. He attached a small device to the side of Seven's neck and ran continuous scans of her. Seven's convulsions stopped abruptly but she fell into unconsciousness. The Doctor softly touched Seven's forehead and breathed a deep sigh of relief. Putting down the medical tricorder, he turned to Tom. "What happed here?" he asked accusingly.

"Seven didn't want me to call you. I tried to treat her but it didn't work."

"Seven didn't want you to call me? But why?"

"I don't know Doc, but she was desperate."

The Doctor seemed upset as he picked up a dermal regenerator and began healing Seven's rash. He stared down at her now peaceful features.

Tom watched the Doctor from across the biobed. "You really love her, don't you?"

The Doctor looked up at the young man. "What does it matter. It's obvious to me now that Seven absolutely detests me."

"I don't think so. From what I saw on your holo-imager, she looked like she was _really_ into you, Doc."

"And you don't know the half of it..."

Tom's ears perked up. "Spit it out, Doc."

"Earlier today, Seven was... spying on me. She stole my imager and was peeking out at me through that Jeffries tube." He pointed to the opposite end of the room.

"No! That doesn't seem to be something that Seven would do."

"I know."

"Well, it sounds to me like Seven likes you and she's too afraid to admit it. I think you should ask her about it when she wakes up."

"Thank you Mr. Paris. I'll think about it, but forgive me if I don't agree with your plan right away. The last time I listened to you, I regretted it."

Tom just shrugged and patted the Doctor on his shoulder. "Well let me know how it goes. I'm pretty hungry... I think I'm going to go to the Mess Hall for a snack. See ya!"

The Doctor watched as Tom left the room. He looked down at the beautiful woman laying on the biobed and sighed.

* * * * * *

_Seven got up from the biobed and surveyed the room. The lights were dimmed and the Doctor was nowhere to be found. Seven looked down at her hands . There was no sign of the rash and she felt fine. "Computer, locate the EMH," she ordered._

"The EMH is offline," came the monotone reply.

Seven took a deep breath and said, "Computer activate the EMH."

The Doctor appeared in front of her. He didn't appear surprised to see her up. "Seven," he said in a low voice.

Seven's mouth suddenly felt dry and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. The world around her seemed to freeze as she looked into the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor held her gaze without moving.

"Doctor..." began Seven.

The Doctor didn't let her finish. He moved closer and put his hand on her face. The he leaned in and kissed her fervently. Seven felt as if her whole world was being swept up into this moment. She kissed him back with the same intensity.

Without breaking the embrace, the Doctor slowly moved his hands down Seven's sides and clasped her hands in his. When their kiss came to an end, Seven opened her eyes and looked admiringly at the Doctor. He looked back at her and said, "I love you Seven. I love you with everything that's in me."

For some reason, Seven suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She swallowed and exhaled deeply, breaking the eye contact between the two. She suddenly felt very unworthy of love, especially his. Backing away slowly, she looked down at the Doctor's hands clasped in hers. It seemed almost surreal…

* * * * * *

The Doctor held Seven's hand in his as he ran a dermal regenerator over it. When he was finished he kept her hand clasped in his, savoring the warm soft feel of her skin against his.

All of a sudden, Seven's eyes flew open and she had a terrified expression on her face. She seemed confused for a split second but the she looked down at the Doctor's hand holding hers and she yanked it away. She scooted back on the bed away from the hologram.

The Doctor was confused. "Seven! What's wrong?"

Seven didn't say anything. She just looked at the Doctor with terror in her eyes.

"Seven, I don't understand why you're acting this way."

"Why _I'm_ acting this way?!"

"Yes Seven. Why you were spying on me this morning, and why you.... why you kissed me on the holodeck yesterday."

Seven averted her eyes away from the Doctor's.

"Do you have feelings for me Seven?"

The Doctor took a step towards the ex-borg.

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Seven, still not looking at him.

"I saw the holodeck program you made, Seven. I'm talking about love. Do you _love_ me?" the Doctor said softly.

"Of course not," Seven said, looking away.

"I see," said the Doctor. "Then explain to me why you've been acting the way you have toward me."

Seven straightened up and looked the hologram straight in the eyes. "Your program must be malfunctioning. I have no feelings for you except pity," she spat out. Seven got off the biobed and strode to the door of Sickbay. Turning around, she said, "I believe I have fully recovered. I am going to return to my duties now."

"Go ahead," sighed the Doctor.

She turned around and left without looking back.

* * * * * *

As soon as the Doctor knew that Seven was gone for sure, he dropped to his knees. He felt physically sick. Even though he was a hologram and could technically feel no pain, his whole upper body shook and his chest felt as if it would tear apart at any second. He felt as if he would rather endure the torture of Henry Starlings programmed pain over this feeling. Then the tears came. The Doctor wiped them away quickly, realizing what a spectacle he would cause if anyone should enter Sickbay at this moment and see him on the floor, crying; but he couldn't seem to stop the flow.

_Why oh why did I ask Seven if she loved me? I went too far. I'm such a fool. I've sent our relationship back 3 years: that is if she ever talks to me again. Of course she doesn't love me. She was experimenting, and I was her holographic guinea pig. That's not love. Oh how could I have been such a fool_ – the Doctor lamented to himself.

* * * * * *

Seven of Nine walked as fast as she could away from Sickbay. She knew that the Doctor wouldn't come after her, but she still felt a need to flee the situation. Hearing a group of officers coming towards her in the hall, she walked into the closest lavatory. Stepping into one of the stalls, she closed the door and waited for the group to pass. Unfortunately, she heard the main door open and the gaggle of voices as a few of them came in.

"Isn't he incredible?!" gushed a young female voice.

"He's definitely into you, Sarah."

"Do you really think so? I never thought of him in this way before. We've worked together for years, and all I've thought of him is a friend; a colleague. Why is it suddenly I'm feeling so drawn to him?"

Seven peeked through the slats and saw three young officers, in plain clothing, standing at the mirror, fixing their makeup. The officer in love was a pretty blonde girl. Seven had seen her a few times before but had never spoken to her before.

"I don't know, hun, but it's been obvious that he's been after you forever," sighed her brunette friend.

"Really? I don't think so."

"Come on! You'd have to be blind not to see it. All those extra hours he'd spend in Engineering just to be around you…" BR  
"He's a workaholic."

"All those times he goes out of his way to let you know how he feels on a certain topic or moral dilemma, and how disturbed he gets when you don't feel the same as he does."

"Oh come on. He's that way with every one."

"You're blind, girl. How about all those times he finds a way to touch you? He's constantly putting a hand on your shoulder, or giving you his arm to help you up. And he's always smiling when you're there. He lights up when you're around."

Seven found herself thinking of the Doctor and the way he acted around _her_.

The other girl was suddenly very quiet. Seven was worried that they had heard her. She held her breath and pushed herself back against the wall...

"I'm so scared. When we're working it's fine, but sometimes when we're alone on the holodeck, or have just shared some experience together, and he looks at me… I feel terrified. My heart starts racing and I find that I can't look at him in the eye any more. Then I feel like running away, or changing the subject, or something; just to make the feeling go away."

"I get the same way. We all do. But you've just got to let it happen. Take a deep breath and let it happen. As soon as it does, you'll feel wonderful and you'll never want it to end. You'll wonder why you waited so long."

"I just hope that I haven't lost my chance. He may have finally given up on me. I've run away from him so many times. He may think that I want to stay his friend forever and go no further than that."

"Well tonight's your chance to let him know that you want to be more to him than a friend. You've got to tell him. You'll be scared, but in the end you'll feel better for doing it. No matter what he says."

"Sometimes I'm glad Voyager got stuck in the Delta Quadrant. If it hadn't, I may have never gotten to be such close friends with you guys."

"Yeah, or Ben...!"

The three girls giggled and left the bathroom.

Seven stood still, thinking about the conversation that had just taken place. The girl's dilemma fit her's perfectly. She was scared and because of it she was sacrificing a relationship that she didn't want to lose. It didn't matter if the Doctor felt the same way as she did; she had to tell him the truth before it was too late. She could accept being only his friend but she couldn't accept losing his friendship forever. She had an idea...

* * * * * *

The Doctor pulled himself off the floor and began to tidy up. When he was finished putting away his instruments, he took the data PADD that contained information on Seven's treatment and carried it to his office to study it. He sat down and read the contents. It seemed as if Seven had digested something that had caused a severe allergic reaction. But what? The Doctor had not had a chance to question Seven about it. They had been too busy discussing... other matters. The matter of her having no romantic feelings for him and that she pitied him. She pitied him – that's why she spent time with him. She felt sorry for him. He was pathetic. The Doctor shook himself, trying to think of something else. _I know just who to ask about this..._ - the Doctor thought. He got up and exited Sickbay, heading for the Messhall.

* * * * * *

Seven stood in Holodeck Two. "Computer, run holodeck program BeachSim1."

The warm, tropical setting appeared all around her. "Computer, display holodeck console."

A rocky area just in front of Seven turned into a console. Seven walked over to it and began punching commands into it.

* * * * * *

"Well hello, Doctor!" exclaimed Neelix. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"Perhaps not," replied the Doctor. "I've come by to ask you a few questions about a patient's recent meal here."

"Oh?! A patient?" the Talaxian's face fell.

"Yes. It was Seven of Nine. She was brought to my Sickbay with a very serious rash and a severe allergic reaction of some sort that caused her to convulse. Can you tell me what she may have injested?"

Neelix scrunched his face as he tried to remember. "Oh, yes! She was here earlier, looking a little glum so I served her a plate of chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream."

"Could it be a case of lactose intolerance? Usually the symptoms aren't as violent..." The Doctor wondered aloud. "Was there anything else?"

"Only a few strawberries I put on top," Nellix added.

"Strawberries? That's it! It seems that Seven is allergic to strawberries, Mr. Neelix. I'll trust you to remember that in the future please," the Doctor scolded.

"Of course, of course. My goodness, is she alright? I feel so bad. Maybe I should send her a bouquet of flowers... unless of course she allergic to flowers... oh my goodness!"

"Perhaps you better leave it the way things are. Seven's not in the best of moods right now," the Doctor warned.

"Oh, okay. Will you let her know that I'm sorry?"

"I'll do my best," was the Doctor's answer. If Neelix only knew about the Doctor's situation...

* * * * * *

An amber sun burned brightly, sending it's warming rays over an endless coastline The ocean was alive; powerful waves slamming into the shore before softly foaming onto the white sand. Seven surveyed her creation. The Beach program was the same in some areas, but in others, Seven had added some personal touches. Some tiki torches lined the waterfront and a tropical band played some steel drum tunes in the background. There was a small table perched on a rocky outcropping a little ways off and she could also see the beach house in the distance – the soft glow of the interior lighting looked inviting and warm. Seven looked down at herself. Clothed only in a teal bikini, she felt oddly bare. The borg were not modest, and under normal circumstances she would have not given her attire a second thought but this time she felt strange. "Computer, replicate a teal pareo," she commanded. A rectangular piece of material appeared on the sand in front of her. She picked up the material and tied it around her waistline, knotting on the right side. _There _– she thought. _At least I'm a little more covered up._ But of course she knew that she didn't want to be _too_ covered up if she wanted to make an impession on the Doctor. _Lesson 8 – Dress for Success_ - she thought, smiling. She walked over to a set of towels laying on the sand just out of reach of the waves and sat down on one. Taking a final look around her, she tapped her combadge, "Seven of Nine to the Doctor."

The Doctor was pacing in Sickbay when he got the call. "Doctor here."

"Please meet me in Holodeck Two."

The Doctor was confused. "Holodeck Two? Is there a problem, Seven?"

"No problem, Doctor. I need to speak with you."

He knew he should say no, but he was reduced to jelly every time she spoke to him. What could he do? "Very well, I'll transfer myself there immediately. Doctor out," he said in the least feeling voice he could muster.

The Doctor was suddenly quite nervous. What did Seven want to speak to him about? Was she going to let loose on him about how pathetic he was again? "Computer, transfer EMH to Holdeck Two," he said with a gulp.

* * * * * *

Seven bit her lip when she heard the Doctor's voice over the com. It was very cold. He sounded like he hated her. Maybe it wasn't too late to erase the program before he arrived and play it from there. But when she saw the Doctor appear on the sand in front of her, she knew that it was too late, and what she had to do.

"Seven, what is this? Why have you asked me here? Are you ill?" the Doctor asked, looking around.

"I am not," answered Seven.

"Then what is it you want? I'm a very busy man, you know."

"Yes, I know."

The way Seven was answering his questions was making the Doctor uncomfortable. And the way she was staring at him made him feel very strange. He had to get out of there. "Well, goodbye then," he shook his head as he tapped his combadge. What a cruel thing for Seven to do. She was purposely showing him that she was having a good time alone in a program they had had built together. She didn't need him.

The Doctor was just about to tell the computer to transfer him, when Seven walked up to him and took him by the arm. "Wait," she said. "Come with me. I must show you something."

The Doctor allowed himself to be led over some rocks toward a small table, set for two. While they were walking, the Doctor noticed Seven's attire, or lack of it. He breathed deeply. She was gorgeous. Her golden skin seemed to sparkle in the warm sun and her wavy hair fluttered over her shoulders every time the breeze passed.

When they reached the table, which was perched at a considerable height above the ocean, the Doctor broke away from Seven's grip and pulled out a chair from the table. Seven sat down and the Doctor proceeded to sit in the other chair. They both stared out at the magnificence of the mighty ocean for a few minutes before the Doctor broke the silence.

"Is this what you wanted to show me, Seven?" he asked in a very soft voice.

Seven almost shivered from the sound of it. "Yes. I find It very... soothing. I wanted to share the experience with you." Seven managed to push the words out but she could not seem to look at the Doctor.

"Well, thank you. I appreciate the gesture," he replied. The Doctor was surprised that Seven had actually called him to the Holodeck to share something with him. It seemed very un-Sevenlike.

"Perhaps you'd like to change into more appropriate attire," she said breaking into his thoughts.

"I suppose I should," said the Doctor remembering his Starfleet uniform. "Computer, change EMH's clothing parameters to program Beta 1," he ordered. The black and teal uniform morphed into the white T-shirt and navy shorts that he had been wearing the last time they were there. "Well this brings back memories... or not. Depending on who you talk to."

"I'm sure the pig remembers it..." Seven smiled.

"Pig? I'm confused."

"When you lost your memory, you were chased by a bush pig who extricated your shirt before chasing you. It was quite amusing."

"I wish you had gotten a holo-image of that..." mused the Doctor.

Talk of the holo-imager reminded Seven of what she had called the Doctor to the Holodeck for. She swallowed and cleared her throat. "Doctor, I want to tell you about what happened on the Holodeck after you lost your memory."

"I'd like that very much," replied the Doctor.

"I'd also like to explain why I acted in the manner I did."

"Very well," said the Doctor, not quite able to look her in the eyes.

"You probably remember to the point of when the lightening struck us," Seven began. The Doctor nodded. "I was knocked unconscious and when I regained my senses, I was laying on the sand holding your mobile emitter. You were off line. I attempted to initialize your program, but there was a malfunction. I then attempted to contact the Bridge, but the com system was inoperable." She took a deep breath, reliving the sick feeling she had experienced when she had been alone.

"Eventually, I was successful in initializing your program, but when you came on-line, you were different. You had no recollection of anything, or anyone. You were distrustful of me and you ran away."

"I was acting as I was when I was first activated, I suppose..."

"In a little while, I heard a noise. You were running towards the cabin without your shirt on. A pig was chasing you," she smirked.

"Oh, really?!" the Doctor smiled as well.

"I rescued you, and we began to talk about our friendship, and your life aboard Voyager. We then proceeded to the beach," Seven said quietly. She got up from the table, and walked past the Doctor's chair, looking out at the exquisite sunset. She sensed the Doctor getting up from his chair and standing slightly behind her. She could feel his shoulder softly touching hers. All was silent except for the rushing of the waves against the shore. It felt so peaceful standing there, lost in the moment. Seven slowly turned around and faced the Doctor. About an inch stood between the two. The Doctor couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from her sparkling blue ones. He stood there hypnotized. Seven's throat was suddenly tight, and the way the Doctor was looking at her made her feel light-headed and warm. And scared. She broke the gaze, and said in almost a whisper, "I need to show you something."

The Doctor couldn't help but feel hurt when Seven broke her gaze from his, but when she asked him to come with her, he obliged.

Seven led the Doctor down the side of the hill to the white sand of the beach. She faced him and took his hand and placed it on her back. She took the other hand in hers and moved very close to the hologram. "You asked me what things we would do together; as friends, so I took you to the beach and did this." She began to move from side to side. The Doctor did so as well. "Then I began to hum a song, since the Computer was malfunctioning."

"What song did you hum?" asked the Doctor, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair.

"Someone to Watch Over Me," was her reply as she began to hum the song.

They continued to dance; a slow, close dance. The Doctor's cheek was upon Seven's and she could feel the warmth of his skin and the steady beating of his heart against her chest. She shut her eyes for a moment to try and remember this moment. The Doctor was disappointed when Seven stopped suddenly. She slowly moved her head so that she could see the Doctor's face. She studied it for a moment. His eyes were shining in the moonlight and his lips quivered slightly when she ran her eyes over them.

"Then suddenly, I did something very foolish," she paused. "Would you like me to show you?"

The Doctor nodded, not taking his eyes off hers.

Seven slid her hands up the Doctors shoulders and held his face in them. _There's nothing to lose now_ - she thought. As her face moved closer to his, she shut her eyes tightly. She felt a soft breath on her face before her lips met his. His lips were soft and rough at the same time as she tasted them over and over again. The Doctor squeezed her tightly, encompassing her in his strong arms. When the kiss came to its end, Seven took a moment to regain her composure. The Doctor released her and took a step back, waiting for her to say something.

"Then you ran away," she said with a hint of sadness.

The Doctor licked his lips nervously, and looked down at his hands and shuffled his feet in the sand. He wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. Did Seven care for him? Or was she merely telling him about a foolish event that had taken place. He wasn't sure anymore.

Seven looked at him. Why wasn't he saying anything? She couldn't read him at all. She suddenly felt very very embarassed. She turned and began to run.

When the Doctor looked up, Seven was gone. He looked around frantically, finally catching sight of her running along the shore ahead.

"Seven!! Where are you going? Come back!" he called as he began to run after her.

Seven heard him calling after her.

The Doctor was catching her. "Seven, stop! Why are you running?"

Seven slowed down and waited for him to catch up to her. She turned to him. Her eyes began to tear up. "I insulted you in Sickbay, but it is me who deserves the pity. I'm so confused by what I'm feeling. I believe that I love you." She broke down and covered her eyes with her hands.

_What did I just hear? Are my simulated ears working properly? Did she just say she loves me? She couldn't have..._ - the Doctor thought frantically. He put his hand on Seven's shoulder. "Seven," was all he could muster.

Seven felt the soft touch of the Doctor's hand on her shoulder. He was trying to comfort her because he didn't feel the same, she mused. She couldn't let him see her like this. She was strong. She wiped her eyes, not daring to look at him.

"I love _you_, Seven. I have since the day I met you," the Doctor blurted out.

Seven looked up at him, startled by what she had just heard. The Doctor leaned down and gently kissed her tear stained cheeks, eyes, and finally her lips. Seven was drawn towards his body once again, wrapping herself around him. The Doctor ran his fingers through her blonde tresses. He felt a dizzying giddiness as he realized that his dreams were finally coming true! Seven was his.

Seven was alive with happiness. Her senses were overwhelmed with the feel of the Doctors strong body against her, his fingers in her hair, and his lips claiming hers. All the fear she had recently felt was gone. All she wanted to do now was revel in this new feeling. She felt herself being lowered to the sand. They were both on their knees, looking at each other with hungry eyes. "You're gorgeous," whispered the Doctor. "I can't believe this is happening," was Seven's answer. The Doctor slowly lowered Seven onto the sand and began to kiss her again. Seven sighed as the Doctor laid on top of her and began to kiss her fast and hard. They hardly noticed the crash of the waves as they overtook the shore and bubbled over their bodies on the sand.

THE END


End file.
